The State Government has come out with a new school admission policy making completion of five years of age as on May 31 as mandatory for admission of children for the first standard in government, aided and private primary schools across the State from the next academic year (2010-11).
Currently, a large number of children get enrolled for the first standard before attaining the age of five. Over 17,000 students completed 10th standard in April 2009 had enrolled for the first standard before completion of five years of age.
Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri said only those children who reached the age of five as on May 31 are eligible to seek admission for the first standard in all schools, irrespective of aided or non-aided. About 10 lakh students seek admission for the first standard in the State every year. The new rule is not applicable for students already enrolled to the school in the last academic year (2009-10), the Minister said.
The Department would issue circulars to all Block Education Officers, school headmasters and principals directing them to strictly adhere to the new admission rules of the Government while enrolling children for the first standard.
Distinguishing two types of admissions — voluntary and compulsory — the Minister said under voluntary admission, parents can enrol students on reaching age of five while under compulsory admission, the parents should enrol students on attaining age of five years and 10 months.
If parents enrol their children to school before the age of five then such admissions would be declared illegal, he warned.
Several surveys, educationists and experts have suggested that only children reached age of five should be allowed to enrol for the first standard. Asked about the monitoring system, Mr. Kageri said all school managements have been directed to provide details of date of birth, parents name and address to the department soon after the completion of admission process in the academic year. A centralised computer system would be established to monitor the admissions in each school, he said.
